Photo: NHTSA
When electric vehicles first came about, a lot of people were worried about their safety features and their ability to protect occupants in case of a crash. Although technically speaking EVs are not at all different from ICE cars when it comes to the cabin structure and safety gear, there are several factors that got some of us thinking.
After all, the lack of an engine at the front, where most of the ICE ones are placed, could have impacted the vehicle's ability to shield passengers from harm. Then, the presence of batteries pretty much the entire length of the vehicle could have posed the risk of fire. And, finally, the fact that many of these EVs were produced by newcomers to the industry raised some questions.
As it turned out, those fears were not only unwarranted, but also misplaced. EVs, no matter who makes them, are overall just as safe as all other cars, and even better in some respects. All one has to do to convince himself of that is look at the many great ratings these cars got over the years from national safety watchdogs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is one of these watchdogs, and it has consistently upgraded its testing procedures to account for the evolution of the automotive industry. The organization presently runs a crash test program called New Car Assessment, and even this one doesn't manage to dent the almost perfect track record of some EVs.
One of the cars that went through the program recently is the Lucid Air. Like all other vehicles that come in, it was put through its paces in frontal and side crashes, but also in rollover testing. The vehicle, no matter the version (Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire), nailed them all and earned a five-star safety rating all across the board.
During the frontal crash tests, for instance, the NHTSA found that the Air does a perfect job at protecting the driver, and almost perfect (four stars) for the passenger. The side crash testing earned the model five stars all around, and the same happened during the rollover testing.
As per Lucid, the achievement was made possible not only thanks to the fact that the Air has all the required safety systems, but also because it is made of high-strength, lightweight aluminum and is equipped with a battery pack tailored to improve the overall strength of the EV.
As you know, Lucid Air does not come cheap. The entry-level Pure goes for $69,900 and offers 419 miles (674 km) of driving range and a top power of 430 hp, while the mid-range Touring throws in 620 hp and 411 miles (661 km) of range for $78,900.
At the top of the food chain sit the Grand Touring ($110,900) and the Sapphire ($249,000).
As it turned out, those fears were not only unwarranted, but also misplaced. EVs, no matter who makes them, are overall just as safe as all other cars, and even better in some respects. All one has to do to convince himself of that is look at the many great ratings these cars got over the years from national safety watchdogs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is one of these watchdogs, and it has consistently upgraded its testing procedures to account for the evolution of the automotive industry. The organization presently runs a crash test program called New Car Assessment, and even this one doesn't manage to dent the almost perfect track record of some EVs.
One of the cars that went through the program recently is the Lucid Air. Like all other vehicles that come in, it was put through its paces in frontal and side crashes, but also in rollover testing. The vehicle, no matter the version (Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire), nailed them all and earned a five-star safety rating all across the board.
During the frontal crash tests, for instance, the NHTSA found that the Air does a perfect job at protecting the driver, and almost perfect (four stars) for the passenger. The side crash testing earned the model five stars all around, and the same happened during the rollover testing.
As per Lucid, the achievement was made possible not only thanks to the fact that the Air has all the required safety systems, but also because it is made of high-strength, lightweight aluminum and is equipped with a battery pack tailored to improve the overall strength of the EV.
As you know, Lucid Air does not come cheap. The entry-level Pure goes for $69,900 and offers 419 miles (674 km) of driving range and a top power of 430 hp, while the mid-range Touring throws in 620 hp and 411 miles (661 km) of range for $78,900.
At the top of the food chain sit the Grand Touring ($110,900) and the Sapphire ($249,000).
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